29-03-2004 4:15 pm In collaboration with UNESCO, Thailand will honour King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth. An exhibition and debate about his life and work will be held on April 2 at UNESCO in Paris (Hall Ségur).

Known as the king who modernized Thailand, Rama V was able to avert the colonization of his country. During his reign (1868-1910), he reformed Thailand’s administration, economy, education and science, transforming the traditional society and establishing the foundations of a modern state.

One of his major achievements as sovereign was the abolition of slavery. After 30 years of effort, he obtained the compliance of slave-owners and Thailand abolished slavery on March 31, 1895.

An exhibition of 21 panels, representing facets of his private and political life, will be presented by Virasakdi Futrakul, Thailand’s Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, and UNESCO Deputy Director-General Marcio Barbosa (Hall Ségur, 6.40 p.m).

At 7 p.m., Sumet Tantivejakul, General Secretary of the Chaipattana Foundation, and Professor Gilles Delouche, President of INALCO (Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales), will participate in a public debate on the various aspects of the work of King Chulalongkorn, Rama V.

Journalists who would like to cover this event are kindly requested to register with the Press Relations Service, tel. 33 (0)1 45 68 17 48